I Can Add Points Infinitely - Chapter 17

After about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Shen Lian finished demonstrating the entire sword technique.

The entire set of swordsmanship flowed smoothly, like clouds and flowing water, mesmerizing anyone who watched. Shen Lian even incorporated his own insights, occasionally infusing spiritual energy, with sword energy flashing unpredictably. This enhanced the power and mystique of the sword technique several times over.

The Seventh Elder watched quietly, his eyes filled with admiration. He initially intended to use this opportunity to offer Shen Lian some guidance, but he hadn’t expected Shen Lian’s understanding of swordsmanship to be so profound that he couldn’t find a single flaw.

The combined adaptations of his sword energy and insights from the Qi Refining Insights were so refined that even the Seventh Elder himself felt he couldn’t have done better.

“Impressive. Your swordsmanship is versatile, both offensive and defensive, unpredictable and varied. Your comprehension of swordsmanship is the best I’ve seen in my lifetime,” praised the Seventh Elder sincerely. After a slight pause, he added a word of caution: “But remember, the path of cultivation is like rowing upstream—if you don’t advance, you’ll fall back.”

“There are countless masters in this world. Never become arrogant or complacent just because of a breakthrough. Always keep a heart of humility and reverence to forge ahead courageously.”

“While your sword techniques are exquisite, they may be ineffective against true masters. As they say, brute strength can overcome even the most skilled techniques.”

“Yes, Master. I understand and will heed your teachings,” Shen Lian replied respectfully.

“Good.”

The Seventh Elder nodded in satisfaction. After a moment of contemplation, he pulled out two books on sword techniques and handed them to Shen Lian. “These are two sword techniques you can study when you return.”

“Thank you, Master.” Shen Lian’s eyes lit up with joy as he eagerly accepted the books, thinking to himself that he had just earned another two hundred skill points.

“I also heard about your conflict with those young disciples under the Third Elder,” the Seventh Elder continued. “In Qi Refining stage combat, one’s realm does not determine victory or defeat. Although the Third Elder’s disciples are numerous, very few can actually defeat you.”

“However, you need to be cautious of one person—the First Senior Brother under the Third Elder, Lu E. His strength is at the peak of the tenth level of Qi Refining, and his sword skills are equally formidable. He’s quite troublesome.”

“Fortunately, he’s currently out on a sect mission and won’t be back for some time. He will return when the sect’s secret realm opens. You two may cross paths then.”

“Yes, Master,” Shen Lian noted the name silently.

“You may leave now.” The Seventh Elder waved his hand, having said all he needed to say.

Shen Lian respectfully withdrew.

Back in his courtyard, Shen Lian examined the two martial arts books and found they were upper yellow-grade sword techniques. Studying them awarded him two hundred skill points.

He quickly spent over thirty points to upgrade both techniques to the Perfect level. Since they were Yellow Grade Upper Rank, they required slightly more points for enhancement.

With over 160 skill points remaining, Shen Lian, as usual, invested them all into his Sword Intent Embryo.

Shen Lian could feel his understanding of sword intent deepening, but there was still no change in the system panel—it remained the same four words, “Sword Intent Embryo,” glaringly unadorned.

Shen Lian had grown accustomed to this. After all, sword intent was a power that could glimpse the essence of things, and with only a few hundred skill points invested, it was understandable that it had yet to undergo a qualitative transformation.

In the following days, life seemed to return to a brief period of calm.

Shen Lian spent his time idly. His cultivation was boosted by skill points, so he didn’t need to train as hard as others. His various sword techniques had already been honed to perfection.

There were no further troubles from the Third Elder’s disciples, either. As his master had said, victory in Qi Refining stage battles wasn’t determined by one’s realm alone. Everyone had seen Shen Lian’s easy win against Cui Zheng. Since no one knew Shen Lian’s limits, they were naturally cautious about challenging him. Those who had advanced to the Inner Sect and become True Disciples were not fools; without absolute certainty of victory, they wouldn’t recklessly pick a fight.

During this time, Shen Lian frequently visited the Outer Sect, hoping to find Senior Brother Liu, but he had not returned to the sect and seemed to have vanished completely. Shen Lian suspected Liu had caught on to something and was deliberately avoiding him, though there was little he could do about it.

On the other hand, without new techniques to learn, Shen Lian’s cultivation progress had stalled. Not wanting to waste time, Shen Lian decided to take on a sect mission and venture out for some experience. Although external martial arts techniques were generally expensive, it was still better than having nothing. Earning more spirit stones, even if he couldn’t buy a Foundation Establishment manual, would at least allow him to collect ten or so lower-grade techniques.

The Azure Cloud Sect’s missions were divided into two categories. One was the low-level gathering tasks that all Outer Sect disciples had to complete regularly; the sect would not support them for free. The other category consisted of high-level Inner Sect missions. Inner Sect disciples could choose their tasks with more flexibility, needing to complete at least one mission annually. Completing these missions would earn sect rewards, and any additional gains during the mission would belong to the disciples.

Shen Lian left his courtyard and headed to the mission distribution area. The disciple in charge, upon seeing Shen Lian in his True Disciple robes, respectfully greeted him, “Hello, Senior Brother.”

“Hello.” Shen Lian nodded. “Is there a task directory? Let me have a look.”

“Yes.” The disciple handed Shen Lian a jade slip.

Shen Lian took it, pressed it to his forehead, and focused his mind. A vast array of tasks appeared in his thoughts, each with a brief description.

After browsing for a moment, Shen Lian chose a task, returned the jade slip, and said, “I’ll take task number 079.”

He handed over his identity token.

The disciple quickly registered the task on a recording device, and upon seeing the identity details displayed, he couldn’t help but look surprised. “So, you’re Senior Brother Shen Lian?”

“Uh… you know me?”

“Of course! It’s all over the Inner Sect—defeating a Level Five with a Level One, you’re recognized as the top genius!” the disciple exclaimed with admiration.

Shen Lian had kept a low profile and didn’t flaunt his victory over Cui Zheng, so while many knew his name, few had actually seen him.

“Just luck, really. I’m far from the top genius; everyone praises me too much,” Shen Lian replied modestly. Retrieving his token, he ended the conversation and turned to leave.

The disciple watched him go, and once Shen Lian had vanished from sight, a subtle gleam appeared in his eyes.

Pulling out a messaging device, the disciple sent a transmission, his hands forming a series of seals.

Not long after, a green figure flickered into view beside the disciple.

“Greetings, Steward,” the disciple said, bowing respectfully.

The figure in green was none other than the middle-aged Inner Sect Steward who had previously conversed with the Third Elder.